What is the Actual Job of a Movie Producer?

A common misconception in the entertainment business seems to be the job of the producer. Whenever a producer's name flashes on the screen at the beginning or end of a movie or television the audience probably thinks of some guy in a fancy suit sitting at a desk with his feet propped up on the table. The producer is the guy who makes sure things go smoothly, which pretty much means sitting around and watching. A friend and I even have a running joke about producers. We've collaborated a few times on writing scripts and other things and while he is doing most of the work I tell him, "I'll be executive producer" then I sit and wait while he does all the work. The running joke has even spawned an alias that I use for any video game that I play. I always make my character's last name Greenwalt in honor of David Greenwalt, the executive producer of the television show "Angel."

The truth though is that producers actually do a lot of work. It just seems like a producer doesn't do a whole lot because we don't actually see their work. While watching a movie we can see that the director had a part in the movie, we can see the actors working, we know that the cameramen have been working and we can see the work of many others in the stunts, makeup, props, and CGI. The work that the producer is responsible for doesn't necessarily show up on the screen.

The producer's job is as important as anybody though, maybe most important. One of the jobs of a producer is to raise the funds to make the movie. Directors are very finicky. They must have the props and sets they want, so you better come up with the money. A lot of movies have gone the route of CGI, which can cost a lot of money too. Let's not forget about those movie stars that demand millions of dollars too. If a producer doesn't find the money somewhere, the movie doesn't get made.

Speaking of those movie stars, somebody has to be the one to listen to their demands and come up with a contract that both sides feel is fair. That is also the producer's job. The director might have some problems on the lot dealing with big egos but imagine how hard the producer must have it to have to be the one to try and negotiate money with these people.

Many people think that the director has the biggest role in a movie and that's possibly true. At one point in time producers actually had creative control of a film but that has since shifted to the director. The director still has a boss though and that is the producer. Directors might be the bosses on the set but the producer can hire and fire the directors. The producer not only hires the actors and director, but all of the crew.

A producer's job starts even earlier than that though. Not only are they hiring the crew and coming up with the money for the movie but also they are the ones who choose the movie in the first place. One of the many jobs of a producer is to read scripts and find which project should be next. When the producer finds a script he likes it is then their job to find a studio that will make it.

The producers are also a great source for contacts. Just think about all their jobs and all the different people they come in contact with. They meet writers when they read their scripts. They meet the head of the studios when they pitch a script. They meet actors, directors, stunt men, makeup artists, etc when they hire them for a movie. The producer might be the only guy involved in a movie that knows every single person involved.

When you see the credits at the end of a movie or television show and it says producer that doesn't mean that person necessarily did any of these jobs. Some people who weren't actually producers are given producer credits. Since the producer is in charge of getting the movie financed they will sometimes reward one the people who finance the movie with a producer credit. Other times when the producer is negotiating with a director or actor, one of the perks in their contract will be getting a producer credit. So not everybody who is given credit as a producer is actually participating in the producing process but the person that is actually the producer does a whole lot of work and is very vital to a film.